Let’s face it: we can do pretty much anything with our phones these days — get our location and see what’s in the area, find people nearby, track packages, get traffic updates and flight updates. And that’s just the stuff we can do with Google Now! If we move beyond the scope of “built-in Android functionality,” there’s a whole other world of things we can do, including complete banking. Online. From our phones.

I found out about Simple, a completely online bank, a little over a year ago and could not wait to try it. In January, my wait was over when I got an invite to try their brand new Android app. Since this isn’t a review of the web app, I won’t go into too much detail about the sign-up process, but I will say that since this is completely online banking — there are no brick and mortar locations — it’s incredibly important that the mobile app works in conjuction with the web service to give you a comparable experience. So how does it stack up? Let’s take a look!

I hate banks and not just because they messed up much of the world’s economies. I hate banks because they smell weird, have boring leaflets to read in the queue, and send me thinly-veiled threatening letters every few weeks. That’s why I use mobile banking applications. Apps tell me my bank balance without skimming my debit card, let me transfer money without leaving my bed and don’t offer me cheap pens that waste in an instant.

PayPal, being basically the ‘Internet’s bank’ in all but name, have an Android application that I use regularly. Almost all of my income flows through PayPal and much of the stuff I buy is bought online using it. Over the few weeks I’ve been using the application I’ve found it to be a great addition to my online account with PayPal. Much like mobile banking I can check where I stand financially in an instant and can transfer my income to my bank account the minute it’s received instead of forgetting like I used to and wonder why it’s taking so long!

It’s far from being the perfect application however; and if any PayPal developers are reading this, I’ve a few suggestions.